Spanish Gold Cave — Elk River

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Spanish Gold Cave — Elk River

Lost Treasure TN • Coffee / Grundy County County
Description
Middle Tennessee legend of Cherokee warriors seizing Spanish miners' gold ingots and church plate, then sealing it in a limestone cave above the Elk River bluffs.
Historical Notes
Coffee and Grundy County folklore holds that colonial-era Spanish miners working Appalachian gold were overrun by Cherokee warriors who cached the loot in a cave along the Elk River drainage. Hernando de Soto crossed eastern Tennessee in 1540; Juan Pardo pushed into the interior in 1566–1568. Dahlonega's federal mint later proved southern Appalachian gold was real — keeping Spanish-miner tales plausible. Treasure hunters have searched limestone bluffs for carved crosses and sinkhole chambers. Tennessee Ghosts and Legends calls this the state's oldest open treasure legend.
Status / Verification legend — Legendary or approximate

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